


Need to Breathe

by bluemermaid



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, F/F, First War with Voldemort, Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-21
Updated: 2015-02-21
Packaged: 2018-03-14 00:42:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3402182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemermaid/pseuds/bluemermaid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They hide together for a while.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Need to Breathe

They tumble into the tiny space between the fence and the bricks, panting with the effort of running, and Lily falls heavily against Alice, tendrils of her hair sweeping across Alice's shoulder. Alice shivers.

"Do you think they'll find us?" Lily asks in a whisper; her eyes are wide and frightened.

"No," Alice says. She is struggling to breathe, her chest tight with the pressure of flight and unrequited love. "No, we should be all right. Shouldn't we Apparate back to the safe house?"

Lily shakes her head; more hair whips across Alice's face. "Bound to splinch ourselves, all the stress we're under," she says. "Need to breathe for a min, get my thoughts back." She takes a deep breath.

Alice just stares at her. Lily's face is flushed and her hair is a tangled mess; she has never looked more beautiful. Alice is struck by her in that moment, with their bodies shoved up together in their hiding place, limbs touching and Lily's perfect hair everywhere. Alice looks at Lily's lips and imagines kissing them; the urge makes a strangled noise of frustration burst from her throat.

"It's all right," Lily says, touching Alice's hand. "We're all right."

"Lily, listen," Alice says quickly, words spilling from her like the bursting of a dam. "If they catch us, if they hurt us, if we don't win this war, I don't want to go without telling you. I don't want to go with this stupid thing between us. I might be a bit weird around you, I've always felt so, but it's only because of who you are, and how I feel. I just feel so much, I feel everything, and it hurts me to keep it from you, but I'm so scared. Only this war has got me even more scared, and I can't hold it in anymore. Do you know?" She feels like she's babbling uselessly, her head full of nothing but dither dather, but she can't seem to properly articulate what it is that she has to say.

Lily is staring at her. Alice swallows and turns her head away. "Never mind," she says.

"Alice," Lily says, and Alice looks at her. The expression on Lily's face makes Alice's throat close up. "Do you want to kiss me?" Lily asks, and a sharp piercing pain hits Alice in the stomach. Alice nods slowly, not even daring to breathe as Lily closes in.

They could be anywhere, the Death Eaters, searching out the Phoenix so they can burn it to the ground. But Alice stops thinking of war when Lily kisses her. Alice thinks about nothing at all, really; Alice thinks about kissing, and how amazing it feels. Lily pulls back and smiles at her, and Alice feels warm and tingly all over. She shivers.

"I wish you'd said something earlier, I've wanted to kiss you for ages," Lily says, and Alice's mind boggles at the very idea. Perfect Lily, wanting to kiss stupid little Alice. It's unbelievable. But Alice certainly isn't going to question it now, when everything feels so perfect.

"I don't think I'm going to be able to Apparate for a while," Alice says, feeling overwhelmed and dumbfounded, and Lily laughs, clapping a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound.

They hide together for a while, practicing how hard they can kiss without being heard.


End file.
